Kelvin Oxendine. Photo by Roger Parsons / US Air Force

Two members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina are proud to carry on the fighting traditions of an ancestor who took up arms against the Confederacy.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Kelvin Oxendine said his great grandfather, Henry Berry Lowry, was known as the "Indian Robin Hood." Lowry rose up against the Confederate Home Guard from 1865 to 1872 to protect his land and his people from persecution.

"Lowry and his gang helped lay the foundation of justice for my people, giving us hope and the opportunity to pursue a better life and education," Oxendine said in a story published by the Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. "He gave us a chance to stand up and fight against being neglected and mistreated."

Maj. Charles Jacobs is also a descendant of Lowry. He joined the Air Force since 1998 and serves alongside Oxendine in Georgia.

More than 28,000 American Indians and Alaska Natives are currently serving in the military, according to the story. Native American men and women have fought in every major war and conflict since the Revolutionary era.

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In the footsteps of warriors: Legendary 'Indian Robin Hood' descendants thrive in Ga. Guard (Robins Air Force Base